Assess Your Property

Note site conditions such as:

the amount of sun or shade
each area gets and when, and

your soil type(s) and drainage

Get your soil tested.

Is it acidic or alkaline?

Does it contain lead? (This is especially important if you plan to create
a vegetable garden or if young children will be playing in the dirt. Check EPA's lead site or call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD to learn more.)

Take some measurements and make a rough map or plot plan.

Show
the shape and location of your house, including windows and doors, patios
and walks, existing trees and shrubs, fences, utility lines, garages,
sheds, and any other features already on your property.

Note
neighboring concerns that you might want to address such as views of
unsightly structures nearby, lack of privacy from neighbors, nearby
sources of noise pollution, etc., and attractive views you might want
to preserve or highlight.

Mark
the location of underground utilities and overhead power lines.

Show
existing plants on your property; try to identify them by name (common
or Latin) so that you can find out more about their eventual size, degree
of invasiveness, and other characteristics.

Mark
north-south-east-west and the degree and direction of any slopes.

Where
appropriate, make note of size and other requirements (such as a flat
20' x 20' plot in full sun for a vegetable garden). Once you have your list,
prioritize the items in terms of importance, taking into account their
practicality given your property and your budget.

Do Research

Before making a landscape plan for your property, do
some homework using libraries,
the Internet, arboreta, garden clubs, horticultural societies,
nurseries, etc.

complete
identifying existing plants and soil types

list
native plants that will thrive in your site's conditions

take
walks through natural areas and gardens (public and private);
be observant and note your likes and dislikes

learn
what plants usually are found growing together in the wild

learn
what plants are problems in your area and should be removed or not planted
in the first place

if
you want to attract specific wildlife, like specific birds or butterflies,
learn what habitat they require and plants they favor

note
the requirements of specific plants you want to add including eventual
size so that they can be placed in the correct location

Develop a plan

Put tracing paper over your plot plan. Rough in existing
features that you want to keep, then add other features, starting at the
top of your prioritized wish list. Most likely it will take several drafts
before you successfully incorporate your needs in an attractive and well-integrated
plan. Classes given by arboreta and schools may help
you with this process. Many books and other publications also have sample
plans.

Start small

Break down the master plan into manageable phases, such
as the need to create some privacy from a neighbor or to provide shade
to the house. As trees are usually purchased small and require many years
to reach mature height, it's often recommended to include them early in
garden installation. Also, they create shade and affect other conditions
which might be critical for the success of smaller plants nearby.

Start
with efforts that provide the most environmental benefits: remove
invasives, reduce flooding and erosion, reduce energy needs, reduce air and noise pollution, provide habitat for wildlife, etc. As you gain confidence and experience, you can reduce the amount of grass you have and enlarge planting beds during succeeding phases.

Gain Acceptance

Sometimes green landscaping runs afoul of local weed ordinances
or neighborhood acceptance. This most often occurs in neighborhoods that
are highly manicured and where the owner makes a sudden and drastic change
such as removing the entire front lawn overnight and planting a wildflower
meadow. Before you begin such ambitious projects check local ordinances.

You can avoid problems with neighbors and others if you take some of the
following measures, particularly for areas in public view.

Alert neighbors beforehand; include the reasons why you feel green landscaping
is important.

Start small so that others can get used to the change.

Maintain the edges of natural areas. Leave a buffer of turf or
plant a neat groundcover to make an aesthetic transition. Showing that
your garden hasn't been created out of willful neglect will help gain
acceptance.

Use large swatches of fewer, mostly-flowering plants along public
edges. For example, a large drift of Black-eyed Susan will usually be
more acceptable in a suburban front yard than a more diverse wildflower
meadow.

How to Get Started in Your Community

Green
landscaping isn't just for the home and, in fact, you can have more of
an impact if you think larger. Public areas, including parks, roadsides
and school grounds, as well as industrial establishments, commercial areas,
and government managed lands are ideal places to apply green landscaping.

Join local committees that plant trees and maintain grounds. Encourage
greater use and diversity of native plants. Share the information you've learned.

Examine local weed ordinances and development regulations to ensure they
don't deter green landscaping; if they do, push to amend them or get a
variance for native plant gardening.

Identify public areas in your community maintained as lawns that might
be converted to green landscaping. Galvanize public and local government
support for the effort. Get schools involved.

Identify natural areas in your community and help to preserve or restore
them. Organize removal of invasive plants and replanting with native trees
and shrubs.

Create demonstration gardens of green landscaping. Recognize and reward
efforts of others. Signs can help to gain public acceptance and support.
Consider obtaining wildlife habitat certification for your site or community
from such organizations as the National
Wildlife Federation

Start or work within an existing garden club to share expertise, knowledge
and interest in green landscaping.

Document green landscaping efforts by taking photos and recording installation
and maintenance costs. Having information on projects that worked well
can make it easier to gain approval for additional projects.